Tightening and gripping device for string employed in the tying of parcels



Oct. 16, 1928. 1,687,856 H. J. BUCHANAN-W LASTON TIGHTENI AN a me DE ICE STRING Ell? ED '1 TYING OF PA ELS Filed June 11, 1926 Patented Oct. 16, 1928.

UNITED STATES-1. PATENT OFFICE. j

HUGO JOHN BUCHANANI-WOLIQAYSTON, or Lown's rorr, ENGLAND.

TIGH'IENING AND GRIPPING'DEVIGEFOR STRING EMPLOYED IN THE TY ING or PARCELS.

Application filed June 11, 1926, Serial No.115,209, and in Great Britain June 20,1925.

ject to another, the inve ntion in its larger form may be used as a tightening and grippin and holdlng device for cords or ropes of much larger diameter than that necessary for the lighter work.

It may also be used in connection with flat leather straps, webbing or the like for various purposes astor instance 1n securing parcels or articles to carriers on bicycles.

The main object of my invention is to avoid tying the string or rope into knots in using it for the purposes indicated, thuseconomizing in the amount of string used and enabling the whole of it to be employed again when required, since the forms of clip designed by me enable 1t to be readily removed trom the clip after first use;

, Withthe aforesaid objectin view my invention relates to clip orgrip'devicesot two types, one of which is used wheredefi nite lengths of string or cord are first cut oil to length and the other both for string so out off and for string formed in aball, wound upon a bobbin or woundinto the moreinodern crosswound cheese form, in which latter cases the required amount of string can be used and cut oil after the tying is e'ttected.

My inventionconsists in one form in a clip made from one piece of inetal perforated and provided with one or a pair of resilient integral gripping tongues for other form in which the the string; in anclip consists of a base element of closed or partly open form to which a separate grippingitongue, or tongues, is fixed; in a further form in which the grip ping tongue, or tongues is pivoted to the base and in some cases spring-controlled whilst in a further term the gripping tongue is movable about a vertical pin or by the base.

the like supported My invention will be fully described with reference to the accompanying drawing, showing it in various forms and 1n which,

Fig. 1 is a plan of a clip of metal,

made in one piece Figs. 2 and 3 plans of a two piece clip, and Fig. 4 perspectiveview of a tube hereinafter referred to, y

Figs. 1 to 3 show a clip string or cord is previously. cut to length for use when the whilst the figures hereinafter referred to are 7 used both whenthe string is cut off to length either before or afterltying is completed. In

Fig. 10 plan of clip in Fig. 9 with parts as sembled,

Fig. 11 end elevation of Fig. 1O,

Fig. 12 plan and Fig.1? side elevation respectively of a clip having grippingtongues pivoted to the base, and.

Fig. '14 planof a two-piece clip'witlrsingle gripping tongue.

Referring to Fig. 1,the clip body a is made 0t sheet metal, preferably thin steel of suit:

able outer shape, slitfateach end to provide two resilient tongues b, the latter beingslig-hb ly shortened and serrated at their, outer ends to form teeth 0. The tongues'a're bentup= wa-rdly from theirroot ends d above the face of the body a and the sides of the latter are pressed inwardly to the position shown by broken lines 6, to hold'the tongues against the tensile stress setup inthe string. Curved spaces which for ordinary string-should be very narrow are leftbetween the serrated ends of the tongues b and the ends of the body athrough which the ends of the cut string are pulled from the underside. Thus in tying-up parcel or other object one end of the string.

is passed a little distance through one of the spaces f thus flexing the tongue. On tension being released the. string is gripped between the teeth 0 and the inner edge g ofthe body a;

The other'end ofthe string is taken-round the 4 parcel and passed through the other space f.

' By pulling on this end of the string andholding the other end the clip is used as a link until the string is tight. On letting go, the second tongue Z; grips the string and holds it in tension. Both ends of the string may be pulled in tightening it up it required.

Fig. 2 shows a two-part clip comprising a body a of perforated form and a two-tongue part b which is secured against the upper taceol the body by clamping the lateral edges 72. tightly round the edges of the body. The clip acts in the manner pre iously described.

Fig. 8 shows another twopart clip in which the body a is made from wireroughly in the form of a letter S, the central portion 2' of which passes through holesj in the double tongue part5, whilst the curved ends pass under the tongue as shown and lie tightly against it.

It is frequently and usually desirable to tie up av aarcel with string, uncut from a ball, bobbin or cheese. With the forms ot'olip described this cannot be done. To accomplish. this end the body a 01' the clip must be gapped at one or two points, to permit of the uncut portion of the stringto be passed into one or other of the curved spaces f beneath the tongues 5. One gap is enough but I prefer to use'two. In Fig. 5 the arrangement is shown applied to the onepiece clip indicated in Fig. 1, being the'gaps cut in the body at opposite sides and ends. In other respects the construction 0-: the clip'is the same as Fig. 1. In the case of Fig. 5, the end of the tying string may either be passed through one of the spaces 7 before or through one of the gaps is and be pulled bea tween the body a and tongue Z). In either case the string end is gripped between the teeth of the tongue and the body. The intact partof the string is then passed round the parcel, then through the second gap is into the space f, pulled tight in the manner previously described, allowed to retract and become gripped by the second tongue 6 and be after wards cut oil.

A modification of the device is shown in Figs. 6 and Sin which the hinged tongue member 6 is provided at the opposite side to the hinge with an extension abent to spring over the body a to temporarily hold the tongue member in position after the string has been passed through the gap is. If re quired the tonguemember I; may be divided into two parts along the transverse broken,

line m shown in Fig. 6.

The clip shown in dis a modification of that shown in Fig. 3 differing only in re. spect to gaps 70 through which the string can be pulled and to the fact that the double tongue member 5 is clamped to the wire body a by turned-over lugs 0.

Figs. 9 to 11 show a modification of the clip shown in Fig. 9 in which the body member a is made from stamped metal while the double tongue member Z) is riveted at p or otherwisesecured to it. To facilitate the passage otthe string into the-spaces f as before described, the tongue member 7) may be turned up slightly at an angle at the corners Q nearest the gaps 7a. A further feature con,

In some cases, for instance, with the larger diameters of string or cord, the rigidity of the double tongue members k) renders y it di limit to pass the cord through the gaps is into the spaces 7'". I therefore provide, as shown in 12 and 13 divided members 6 which are made resilient by providing their inner ends with lateral pivots 2 passing freely into holes or slots 3 termed in turned-up plugs 4; in the body member a. In conjunction with such pivoted members I employ. a flexible plate spring 5 riveted to the body a and en tending over the rear portions of members 6. hen therefore the strin or the like is being passed through the s 76 into spaces 7", the members 0 the cord and hold it as previouslydescribed.

All the forms of clip previouslydescribed have double tongued members 5., I would, he 'ever, have it understood that all such tor-ms may have a single member 6 as in Fig let, riveted or otherwise attached to thebodymember a by its rear end, a gap 70 and space j being employed as before. In such clip it 155 necessary to provide means for holding one end of the string. This may be done by tying a knot at one end of the string. and passing the other end through a hole 6-in the body member a, such other end being passedround the parcel and through the space f so that it maybeheld after tightening up in the manner previously described. This or any of the other forms shown may have ahook or slot for a'similar purpose. The single-tongued forms may'also be nailed by their plain ends to boxes or picture frames, or be stapeled or otherwise fastened to paper pins, large'ern give somewhat against the. influence of the spring but nevertheless gr1plbs velopes or the like, in which connection they perform the functions of a buckle of but-ton. In all forms of the device, a tube 7 either flattened or rounded, either-complete or slot ted as shown in Fig. 4. may be employed to give greater security in tasteningsmade with the'help of the present invention. This tube is passed on to the string andslid down over the gripping device and the ends of the string, on which it is adapted to fit tightly;

In all forms of the device some edge'thereof may be sharpened so that string may be cut on it, to avoid the use of a knife after a fastening is made by means of the device. This sharp edge may be conveniently made at g in Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawings or as in Fig. 9. 1 a

All forms of the device are designed for two opposite tensions. There is no strain on the tongue when the cord used therewith is put under tension by pulling'on the ends thereof. The tongues are in all forms of the device supported under the tension of the cord, when pulled taut and let go, by the fact that they overlap the sides of the corresponding spaces in the frame or body.

There the devices are used in connection with leather straps, Webbing or the like the ends of the clips Would be fiat instead of curved thus leaving the spaces 7 as very narrow slots.

Whether the tongue members 3) are separately attached to or form part of the body members a they are preferably made of tempered steel Which is softened at local points Where intended to be secured to the body members by lug connections.

lVhat I claim as my invention and desireto secure by Letters Patent is l. A device to facilitate tightening and automatically to grip strin or cord comprising a body having an open-sided aperture therein and a tongue of resilient material having one end rigidly anchored to said body and its other free end partially covering said aperture.

2. A device to facilitate tightening and automatically to grip string or cord comprising a body having openssidedjapertures there in and tongues of resilient material rigidly anchored at one part to said body and having their free ends partially covering said apertures.

3. A device to facilitate tightening and auprising a sheet metal base having open-sided apertures near the ends'thereof, and notched tongues of resilient material rigidly anchoredv to said base and having their notched ends free and partially covering said apertures, said notched ends being spaced slightly apart from the adjacent curved parts of the Walls of said apertures.

5. A device according to claim 1 having a knife edge on one side for string cutting purposes and a gap in the body member through which the string can be passed to be cut.

6. A device according to claim 2 having a double-tongued gripping member co-operating With tWo gapped apertures in the body, said gripping members having the corners nearest to the gaps turned up at a slight angle to facilitate the passage of the string or cord into the gapped apertures in the body member.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ed end being spaced slig itly HUGO JOHN BUCHANANQWOLLASTON. 

